When things were going well, Kingpin could make grand promises about growing and strengthening the company, laundering $50 million a year.
When things went badly, he could set his sights on the property fees-just over a hundred thousand dollars a month-and embezzle them without mercy.
He'd already been so restrained, and they still dared to ask him what he'd done with the property fees!
If they dared to ask about the property fees today, tomorrow they'd be at his door demanding better service and quality. These weren't ordinary residents anymore. They needed to be hit hard.
Sean O'Malley was the capable right-hand man he'd chosen-the leader of the Irish Gang-
the manager of the United Construction Property Company.
Times had changed. He hadn't even needed to clock in before.
In the past, people like them could walk down any street and find dissatisfied, hungry vagrants and unemployed workers.
Why was a gang leader a leader? Beyond being ruthless, he could see at a glance how desperate and helpless these people were, and how they wavered and struggled on the edge of breaking the law.
All it took was setting up a secondhand dealer who asked no questions, and they'd break into stores to steal things and earn enough to live on the next day.
Once they'd done that even once, the scales between obeying the law and committing crimes would tip, now that their survival was assured.
"We're with the property management company. Are you Mr. Stone? We're here to explain where the property fees went and where the Resident Repair Fund went."
O'Malley headed toward the high-rise built by the United Construction Company with three strong, burly thugs. He had a cigarette between his lips, and didn't put it out even when they got in the elevator.
But there